Lost Little Archer
by EndlessLabyrinth
Summary: You know, Artemis puts up with a lot of crap. She puts up with Wally, for one things, but also fakes her own death, spends day and night on edge in enemy territory, and watches silently as her friends get captured or screwed over or lost. She puts up with a lot. But she has not, does not, and will not sit quietly and do nothing when her family is hurt.
1. Chapter 1

_A little background, this is an AU starting from season two episode 9 _Darkest_, when Kaldur and Artemis (dressed at Tigress) infiltrate Mount Justice and Kaldur is supposed to give Nightwing the flash drive that will help them rescue Lagoon Boy. Things go way off plan when Slade joins their mission and, going against rules, beats and captures Nightwing instead of just planting the bomb, which Robin later deactivates instead of letting it destroy the Mountain. _

_With that out of the way, Enjoy!_

* * *

Artemis's heart pounded underneath her orange Kevlar and UnderArmor. The LIGHT's ship was not one of astronomical size by any means, and trying to be discrete about a dinner plate in hand—while successfully avoiding as many guards as possible—is not the way Artemis had wanted to spend her evening. In essence, Artemis didn't want any part of this being in her whole damn day altogether. Yet, despite it all, she held her head high in an almost regal fashion as two simple guards moved to let her pass.

"Looking confident is half the battle." Kaldur's words flooded in her head, reminding her of her first couple days undercover on his god forsaken ship. If she looked confident in her position, no one would dare ask too many questions of Black Mantas son's self-chosen, right hand man—or woman in her case.

The guards might have raised their eyebrows under their helmets, but thankfully didn't watch her as she turned the corner at the end of the hallway.

'Everything's fine. Everything's good. Nothing strange about the random chick taking her dinner through the ship's filthy, rotten basement... Nothing at all' She thought, trying unsuccessfully to slow her rampaging heart. Just a few more hallways... Just a few more corners.

It wasn't just that she needed to see him, to reassure herself that Nightwing was indeed okay. She also wanted to tear him a new one. He had put her through hell today, forcing her to watch helplessly as Deathstroke beat the living shit out of him… her baby brother. Kaldur had warned her things might get tricky; he had told her to expect the worse. What he had not told her was that Deathstroke was planning on actually capturing Nightwing. The mission was supposed to have been an intel swapping. Kaldur was supposed to have passed along the flash-drive... why hadn't he given it to Nightwing? What changed? And more importantly, why the hell wasn't she informed about it?

Artemis didn't know, but she was planning on figuring out, even if she had to tear it out of Nightwing's still-bleeding body.

Thankfully, some karma voodoo must have given her enough shit for the day, and Artemis made it to the prison cell in question without any further encounters. She made one last double take across both sides of the musty, skinny hallway before rifling out the hidden key in her pocket. The door slipped open with a painful creek, causing Artemis to wince, but she continued. When her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, she almost dropped her plate.

Nightwing was slowly trying to lift himself from his stone slab that stood for his bed. Nightwing, her baby brother, whose hands shook in an almost crazed manner at the chill of the metal walls, shielded himself from the blinding light that pooled in, and in that action looked so small, so helpless, that Artemis just barley repressed a gasp.

"Nightwing." She whispered, her voice hard and worried. She paced to his side.

Blood caked his thick hair, matting it in several places. His leg was still bent out at an awkward angle from Deathstroke's sword that had dug into his flesh in just the right way… only after he forcibly broke it of course. He had also been stripped of his uniform upon arrival. Artemis had known about that, even heard his mask was taken off him, but her clever bird had found a way around that before she could see, of course. With all the excess blood that had pooled out of him, he'd apparently had enough to wipe over his eyes, distracting his face and making it near impossible to see his identity. Still, no amount of blood could cover up his brilliant blue eyes. Artemis could have sworn she's seen eyes like his before... But he looked so different now.

Artemis had always seen Nightwing as her little brother, no amount of time or puberty would ever change that, but looking at him sitting there with nothing but a pair of torn prison pants and his black under armor shirt, he looked like he was thirteen again. He looked small, weak, and unbelievably skinny for an eighteen year old. She wanted to help him. God, did she want to help him. He looked so freezing in here... So lost and in pain.

"Hey there. Didn't get enough action the first time?" His tone was supposed to be light, his mouth even curled up a little at his comment, but the cough that ended it was anything but soothing to the archer.

"'Wing, I'm here as me. They can't hear us down here." To prove her point, she lifted her hands to pull off Tigress's helmet and set it in the ground beside her. She took off her necklace and put it in het pocket.

Nightwing looked to the fallen mask with tired eyes. He blinked fast a couple times before meeting her eyes, unguarded. "Hey Artey."

If a person could break with only two words, Artemis would have been an unhinged mess on the ground. "Hey 'wing," she managed, the smallest of relieved smiles on her lips.

The boy moved to sit up straighter, an action that earned a groan, then a sharper cry at the strain of the larger injury to his leg.

Artemis visibly flinched. "'Wing don't!"

Her hands went to his back for support—one holding him around his waist and the other wrapping around his shoulder. He rode out the wave, his eyes crunched together in a pain she didn't want to begin to imagine. To his credit he didn't cry out, just like he hadn't with Deathstroke.

"Shh, shh easy. Try to stay still." She soothed, rubbing circles into his shoulder blade.

The action gave comfort to both. Artemis hadn't shown that kind of affection in all her time as Tigress. This action wasn't Tigress, this action was Artemis through and through. This wasn't an undercover agent consoling a prisoner. This was a sister comforting her younger brother.

"Do I... smell food?" Nightwing mumbled through clenched jaws.

Artemis smiled at his simple question. "Careful there, little bird, you almost sounded like Wally."

His small laugh warmed her heart the same time it plummeted. She moved his body to lean it against the metal wall. She revealed the food to him in as light a manner as she could manage for their current situation. Making a wide circle with it in her hands dramatically. He smiled big and took the still warm plate, grabbing bits of the food with his dirty hands and not caring about it one bit.

As he ate, he seemed to relax minutely, and unconsciously, Artemis allowed herself to do the same. For some reason, her throat felt dry… and her chest was wretchedly heavy. She cleared her throat to distract herself. "You must have really done something to piss this Deathstroke guy off. You weren't on the prisoner's food schedule till tomorrow night."

The boy stopped eating mid-bite. "Did you smuggle this?"

Her stomach dropped. Did he really think she would be so careless about her cover, after everything he'd already sacrificed? "No. You think prisoners get chicken? That's my dinner. I brought it down here for you."

"Oh." He relaxed audibly. His eyes wide, looking slightly sheepish. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it"

He kept eating and Artemis tried not to think about how hollow his cheeks seemed, and how expressively lonely his eyes looked on his face.

"His name is Slade." Nightwing interrupted her thoughts.

"What?"

"Deathstroke. His real name is Slade Wilson. He's an assassin for hire. Usually in the regular-everyday-criminal-guy side of the business, but I've seen him tangle the line with the super villains when the price is right."

"Oh." Thanks for the history lesson, kid. "Okay, then. So what's the history with you guys? What's he got against you?"

Nightwing sighed heavily and she almost regretted the question. But her curiosity won out.

"It's... complicated. There was an accident—no one's fault really, just a lot of bad luck. His son died. I think it's easier for him to blame me then face the fact that those things just happen sometimes, ya know? He's had it out to get me for about three years now."

Artemis blinked. There was a lot he was leaving out; whether to spare her the gory details or because he wasn't willing to relive that painful memory, she didn't know. She just knew she didn't want to press too much. It wasn't her place, and the kid sure as hell didn't deserve extra prodding right now. "So, now he's here?"

"And now he's here" he agreed tiredly.

Artemis stood up from the stone bed and ran a hand through her hair anxiously. "That doesn't explain why you let yourself get captured, though... I'm not blaming you," she reassured his exhausted expression, "I just gotta know the end game here, you know? How exactly are you getting out of this one?"

He spoke almost robotically, fighting to keep his eyes open, "this wasn't part of the original plan. I talked with Kaldur and arranged a plan for him to infiltrate the mountain to pass some intel along that would help us rescue L'gann. Plans changed last minute, obviously, but he managed to plant the information on the decoy bomb you and Slade passed along. Conner will use that information to rescue both me and L'gann when they can organize."

It sounded like he was trying more to convince himself that the plan would work then Artemis. She couldn't blame him, nor did the shaking of his voice escape her. Still there was something bothering her.

"Why didn't I know about this? I could have made absolutely sure the intel was passed along. Why leave me out of the loop?" She tried to keep the anger out of her voice.

Nightwing looked apologetic and guilty and Artemis immediately regretted her harsh tone. "Slade is on to you. I don't know about Kaldur, but Slade was watching your every move during the mission. Kaldur and I didn't want to take the risk of him finding out. And Kaldur promised to fill you in on the details later."

Artemis crossed her arms. She wanted to forgive them, but the level of lies they had drown themselves in was already over their heads. Nightwing was just adding fuel to the fire at this point.

Then she heard him let out a shaky breath, and lift his scared, bruised hand to his nose. "I'm sorry..." He mumbled.

Artemis froze. "What?"

Nightwing's voice shook something awful with exhaustion, stress, fear, and pain. His shoulders shook and he wrapped his arms around himself as painlessly as he could manage. "I'm sorry," he continued. "God, I'm sorry, Artemis. None of this was supposed to happen. I-I didn't mean for it to get this out of hand. Any of this. And you and Kaldur are here undercover right in their hands. And lagoon boy held prisoner too. I... I don't know what I'm doing anymore. None of this was supposed to happen."

Artemis didn't even register walking back over to him, she just felt her arms encircling her baby brother, trying not to upset his injuries. She felt one of his arms squeeze her back as her heart raced.

She had never before seen this kind of emotion from Nightwing. Not in his civvies, not is his Robin uniform, and certainly not in his Nightwing persona. But here he was, finally letting his levee break right in front of her.

All her anger ebbed away with it, too. She murmured half-desperate consolations to the boy, squeezing him as hard as she dared.

How had they gotten into this situation? How had they fallen so deep? If you had asked Artemis just a couple month ago what she thought she would be doing with her life, no way in hell would she have ever guessed herself in this situation. Her only true consolation was the feeble hope that they would make it out. That Conner and the team could somehow manage to bypass the LIGHT's security and actually rescue their fallen, imprisoned team mates.

May god give them strength.

Nightwing took a deep breath from the crook of her neck and pulled back slowly, as if relishing this moment of comfort himself. He forced a smile out of habit. "Sorry."

"Why?" She asked incredulously.

"For putting you through all this. Wally's been giving me hell for it. He's really worried about you."

"Stop it." She demanded. "And tell Wally to grow a pair. I'm fine, and none of this happening is your fault."

"Even though it is..." His eyes unfocused dangerously. His lids started to droop as he lost the battle with his body to stay awake.

"No. It's not," Artemis ran an instinctive hand through his bangs, soothing them both. Nightwing let his head fall back to the metal wall all the way and allowed his eyes to flutter closed. Artemis gently guided him to lay down. She guessed a person would have to be absolutely exhausted to actually sleep on this stone bench, and she didn't think he would get the best night's sleep either.

Her heart went out to the small bird for the umpteenth time. Artemis was sure the pair would probably get equal sleep that night; she knew that as soon as her eyes would close that night, the bloody, beaten form of Nightwing would be her only haunting company.

"There you go, baby bird. Be careful," she soothed, lying him down all the way.

"Mm'not a baby..." he murmured.

Her mouth let out a shaky little laugh at his childish tone. "Yeah you're tough, little brother." She pet his hair soothingly, listening to his breathing even out.

God, why did he have to look so young?

"Artemis?" He whispered.

"Yeah?"

When he didn't reply right away she bent her head to look at his face. His eyes were open and more focused then they had been almost all evening. His damn expressive eyes looked like they held all the sadness in the world. She was almost glad for a moment that he kept them hidden most of the time.

"What is it, Nightwing?"

"I-" For a moment, it didn't look like he was going to respond. Then, "...thanks for dinner."

Artemis didn't believe for one second that that was what Nightwing wanted to tell her, but she left with a small smile and nod nevertheless. She just didn't want to cause him any more pain, she wanted to hold him tight and take away all his worries.

"No problem, little brother."

* * *

_Thoughts?_

_I've actually been sitting on this for a while now... I almost forgot I wrote this! but I found the dusty document and thought, well what have i got to lose right? ;)_

_Because of that I've got quite a bit of this already written... so i'll post the rest if this chapter gets any feedback._

_Thanks for clicking and reading! and also reviews make me happy! c;_


	2. Chapter 2

It wasn't until a couple of days later that Artemis heard any more news on Nightwing. She had taken his advice and laid low on the LIGHT's radar, asking only the necessary questions to the mission and certainly not expressing any concern for one certain bat prisoner.

She couldn't help her curiosity, however, while walking past a heated, hushed argument between Black Manta and his loyal son. She stopped mid-stride before quickly taking to the shadows to listen once she discovered the topic.

"...you thinking Kaldur'am? Taking medical supplies like that? Your reputation to the LIGHT could be permanently damaged because of your ignorance. Tell me, son, what in God's green sea pressed you to bring such aid to that prisoner?"

Artemis could catch a decent view of Kaldur's face through the peep hole of her hiding spot. He looked stoic as always, but with a slight tension in his jawline. "I was merely doing what I thought was decent father. Nothing more, I assure you."

Black Manta stood firm in his position, his eyes narrowing. "Nothing more? It is not possible you still have sentiment towards your old team?"

Artemis's eyes widened in unsuppressed fear. Kaldur played his role better; his eyes narrowed in anger. "I hold no loyalty to my old team, father. My actions were based on concern for survival and nothing more. Nightwing's injuries were extensive and I firmly believe the boy would not have survived without some basic medical attention."

Black Manta seemed to consider his son's words while Artemis's mind was reeling. 'Survival'? Sure, Nightwing looked banged up when she'd last seen him, and that was three days ago, but he hadn't looked bad enough where she feared for his life! What had happened during their days of silence? Had his previous injuries just gotten worse, or was there something else going on that she didn't know about?

"Regardless of your motives, Kaldur," Manta continued, "the LIGHT grows suspicious. I suggest you take meeting with them and explain to them what you just have with me."

Kaldur met his father's stare unflinchingly. "I will, Father."

Father and son continued to mentally battle for a moment before Manta finally broke his gaze. He quickly made his way down the hall, not bothering to look around for eavesdroppers, much to Artemis's relief. Kaldur stayed where he stood, his fists clenched and his eyes closed in what looked like frightened anger.

Artemis looked on from her hiding spot, frozen in thought, as Kaldur finally resumed his travels down the opposite hall his father disappeared through moments before.

This wasn't over. She couldn't approach Kaldur right here, so blatantly out in the open, but she would confront him, and sometime soon. She needed to figure out what happened to her little brother.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

That very same night Artemis made her way towards Kaldur's quarters. Luckily for her, this time she didn't have to sneak on this floor since it was where all the upper-level soldiers took their leave, including Kaldur and herself. In fact, her room was only three short doors down from his. Made for easy passage with few questions asked.

She knocked on his door as social courtesy only. A great part of her simply longed to bash the steel frame down, to show him a fraction of the anger that was always building inside her. Still, he didn't keep her waiting long, and his door opened with a small squeak.

"Tigress," he said simply. "May I help you?"

"Let me in, Kaldur," Tigress growled.

His eyes narrowed, whether in character or not, but he stepped aside to let her through nevertheless.

She stepped inside smoothly and he closed the door. "Artemis, I know this room is safe, but pounding on my door like that will only bring more questions. Please you must know that that is the last thing we- Artemis?"

He paused mid lecture to look to her figure. She stood tall and hard, her arms down and hands in such tight fists, they might have been locked for centuries. She had thrown her mask to the ground seconds before, an action that was quickly followed by the removal of her charmed necklace. She now looked like Artemis through and through, all traces of her Tigress persona tossed away.

"Kaldur, what happened to Nightwing?"

He blinked—the reason for her surprise visit now clear—before sighing heavily and making his way towards the edge of his desk chair. "It is complicated."

"No shit," her voice was as sympathetic as a rock. "Un-complicate it. He was supposed to be safe. This whole plan went to hell the moment Deathstroke got to the mountain. That kid doesn't need any more crap, Kaldur. Tell me what happened."

Kaldur's eyes were sad, and his face looked years older, but he answered her with an even voice. "Deathstroke got into Nightwing's cell. Yesterday. He had told the LIGHT's council that Nightwing had valuable information about the Justice League they could use. He wished to 'interrogate' him. The LIGHT complied and... Things got out of hand, obviously. Nightwing was already in rough shape and..." he paused, for some reason trying to remain civil, "Deathstroke just aggravated his injuries, and then some. I had ordered a guard to bring him medical attention as soon as I heard about the interrogation, but my father obviously found out about the arrangement. As I think you heard, he was less than pleased."

Kaldur ran a hand through the top of his fuzzy head before leaning forward in a defeated position, letting his hands fall off his knees. Artemis made her way towards her friend, putting a comforting hand on his knee. It was so damn hard to stay angry at these people—at her family.

"My father grows suspicious. Now so more than ever. He thinks we should have disposed of Nightwing the moment he came into out custody. I had earlier convinced him to keep the boy alive on the grounds of information, and leverage in any hostage situation. But, this recent fiasco has made everything worse..."

"Kaldur..." Artemis didn't know what to say. What could be said in a situation like this? It's not your fault? You did everything you could? Everything will be okay? No, none of those, because nothing would ever really be okay, or at least not the same. Not like things were before all this shit happened.

He looked up at her pause, and smiled ruefully, but understandingly. "I know. Much of what is happening is out of my control. And none of us could have ever anticipated such turns of events. But I still find myself wishing things could be different."

"You and me both..." Artemis replied.

She paused only for a moment before asking, "Is Nightwing going to be okay?" Her voice sounded smaller then she would have liked, but it mattered little when talking about him.

Kaldur sighed. "It would ease my mind if Superboy and his team would come soon. I do not think it should have taken this long."

Artemis nodded in agreement. "What _is_ taking them so long?"

"I do not know. I haven't heard any word from them, or from any others who know of the cover up. Radio signals are silent."

Artemis let out a small cry of frustration, "I feel so useless! Isn't there something we can do? Can't we get him something? I don't know, like, a blanket at least! He's freezing down there Kaldur! Freezing and lonely and scared!"

Kaldur never seemed to lose his composure, a trait that Artemis had found herself continuously relying on these past few weeks, but now just found irritating. He simply stood from his chair and moved to wrap his arms around her. It felt nice, like a strong, reassuring older brother that would make everything alright. …even if she was still angry.

"I just want him to be okay... I know he's an adult now, but he still feels like my little brother, Kaldur. I still feel responsible for him. I feel like I've failed him."

"You have not failed anyone, Artemis. You have done better than anyone could have predicted. And Nightwing will be okay." Artemis looked up. Kaldur's eyes looked far off and unfocused, and his voice continued, sad. "But I too am worried for our friend. I can only pray he will make it out okay."

What Kaldur didn't deliver in verbal assurances, he made up for with physical comfort. He gripped Artemis's shoulders tight and held her close. She was happy to comply.

"Thanks Kaldur."

The pair stood in mutual security for only a few more moments before Artemis pulled away, her constricting throat threatening to release waterworks if she'd stayed a moment longer. "I should go."

Kaldur nodded, looking like he wished anything else, but led her to the door nevertheless. "We will get him out, Artemis. I promise." The pair exchanged one last look—one last gaze between Artemis and Kaldur: members of the Young Justice team back on Happy Harbor—before Artemis places Tigress's mask back over her face, and the two superhero's become Tigress and Kaldur'am once more, members of the LIGHT and enemies of the Justice League.

As Artemis made her way back to her room, her mind went to Nightwing. Her little brother, and the backbone of the Young Justice team. She wanted desperately to believe Kaldur's words, and she wished to God there was something she could do to help. She had to remind herself that she was already helping. She was here, at least in close proximity to Nightwing. And she was going to protect her brother no matter the cost.

* * *

_Yooo another update! Sorry, this one's pretty talk-heavy. But the next one will bring action, promise!_

_As always, if ya like what ya see please favorite or review :) I really like hearing from you guys!_

_-Endless_


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: hello lovely readers!_

_This chapter coincides with season 2 episode 10 before the dawn. I've made changes obviously, Nightwing obviously can't lead the teams rescue mission, and since the cave was never blown up (because of Slade's interference) it's only Lagoon boy and Nightwing that need saving, Impulse, Beast Boy, Blue Beetle, and the rest of the hostages from the episode don't appear here. Hopefully that helps with any confusion!_

* * *

If Artemis had complained about feeling antsy while doing nothing but waiting around the LIGHT's ship for the past week, she swore she would take it all back when things finally went down two days later, five days after Nightwing's initial capture. The LIGHT's sub had docked earlier that evening near Happy Harbor, grabbing a collection of fresh humans for the REACH's research projects. Not an hour later the alarms were sent blaring and the docking bay exploded. Members of the Young Justice team seemingly popping out of the woodwork, strategically attacking any LIGHT members.

While on the outside, Tigress was enraged at this uncanny turn of events and immediately jumped into action, attacking the first league member on sight, on the inside Artemis was rejoicing.

'Please, oh please let this work. Please, oh please let this not fail.' She thought.

Kaldur had come to her yesterday and said without telling that a planned inside attack was to be expected in the next several days. These words were, of course, said in absolute secrecy, but they could never be too careful. Artemis didn't have every detail, but from her own deductions compared with Kaldur's cryptic warning, she got the impression the Young Justice League had planned this attack to rescue both Nightwing and L'gann, both of whom had been captured prior.

About freakin' time.

Now that everyone was finally here, everything seemed to go towards the Young Justice team's plans too, for a while at least. Impulse returned mere minutes after he zipped away, holding an unconscious L'gann on his shoulders. Tigress was fighting a very angry, very forceful Cassie, but she still managed to catch murmurs of Impulse's report.

"Got Lagoon boy rrrright here! Let's find Nightwing and pop this shindig!"

Artemis wanted to smile at the boy's energy, but a sharp punch from Cassie forced her to turn away instead. She needed to end this fight. She really should have stood no chance against the Amazon in training, and it was only sheer luck that she hadn't been pulverized by now. But then, Cassie launched into a long roundhouse kick aimed right at Tigress's stomach. The force sent her flying across the room, slamming her hard into the wall. Artemis fell to the ground in a heap, and thankfully Cassie didn't peruse.

Instead, Artemis had a great view on the groups gathering, watching and listening closely and hoping not too many reinforcement came to screw anything up.

"Did you check for him in the other cells?" Batgirl asked, her voice tight.

Impulse seemed almost insulted by the question. "I phased through every one of those walls. Nadda. Wherever they're stashing 'Wing, it ain't on the main floor's cells."

Robin and Batgirl exchanged a look. Hundreds of emotions and a conversation passed between the bat's protégées. It made Artemis's heart swell.

"Robin, take Conner and Cassie to the lower levels. I'll stay here and guard the bay with Bee and Garth. Impulse, keep looking on this level." Batgirl took command.

"si, si compadre!" Impulse saluted.

The team was about to take action before the sound of a great explosion caught everyone's attention. Ten heads zipped towards the hanger's upper level platform: a small little ledge that was used to tie up larger crates for loading by use of the crane. Standing above them, with a sword placed dangerously at the throat of an imprisoned, unconscious Nightwing, stood Deathstroke himself, the ghost of an evil smirk evident on his expressionless mask.

"Looking for him?"

Everything froze.

"No!" Came the cry from Batgirl.

_No!_ Artemis wasn't seeing this. No, no, no, no! No, this wasn't happening.

"Correct." His horrible voice was as smooth as butter.

"No..." Artemis caught the small, strangled plea from Robin. The little bird looked absolutely terrified behind his sunglasses, and really Artemis couldn't blame him.

Nightwing was held up on his knees unceremoniously as Slade gripped the back of his hair. A trail of dried blood streaked from the top of his head, down his forehead and nose around his jaw. His mouth was gagged and his arms seemingly bound behind his back. Deep, purple bruises were apparent on his exposed arms even from this distance. Without the mask obscuring his face, he appeared to be mercifully unconscious. Whether it was from Slade's beating or an unknown drug, Artemis didn't want to guess.

"I wouldn't try anything from down there, speedster." Slade was quick to say. "I know you're fast but I doubt it would take a full second for me to slice through your friend's throat here. Stay where you are."

Impulse's eyes were thin with anger, his shoulders vibrating with eager rage. The rag tag group of superheroes stood frozen on the hanger floor, waiting for the pin to drop.

"That's better." Slade's smile was apparent in his voice, "Beetle!"

The hanger doors opened quite suddenly on queue. Black Beetle and several other LIGHT and REACH soldiers filled the hanger, inhibitor collars in tow.

Shit, shit shit. No! This wasn't how it was supposed to go!

Artemis could do nothing but watch helplessly as Black Beetle approached Conner, a cocky grin plastered on his face. She nearly closed her eyes, not wanting to see the unraveling of this rescue mission, not wanting to think of how she failed her team in so many ways. But before she could, a sharp cry from above pierced her ears.

"No!"

"Bart run!"

Artemis looked up towards where Slade had his hold on Nightwing, only to see his prone form lying safely on the ground, and M'gann tussling with Slade on the platform.

Yes!

Impulse—apparently named Bart—disappeared, super-speeding right to Nightwing's side seconds later. "Got your back!" He called, many of his earlier lighthearted tones gone. The boy grabbed as much of Nightwing as he could before realizing that the older man was too heavy for him. He settled for the next best option to help M'gann fight off Slade, an action he only seemed too happy to oblige with.

Seeing the drastic turn of events, Black Beetle's once confident smirk turned rabid, and he let out a battle cry that at one point might have made Artemis laugh at the crazed tone of it. The Beetle darted into action, stampeding right into Superboy, creating a near sonic boom as the pair clashed together.

As the other enemy soldier's started paring up to fight various League members, artemis thought this would be an excellent time to make her escape. She didn't need any more interference on her part, and really just wanted to make sure Nightwing was okay.

As the battle raged on, she molded into the shadows and stealthily climbed her way to the hanger's second loading level. Her perch was a good ten feet of air away from where M'gann and Impulse were having their throw-down with Slade, a ten foot gap that prevented her from actually helping at all.

'Crap.' She thought.

The battle itself looked to be getting pretty heated, with Impulse trying to find a good opening through Slade's double blades, and M'gann simply trying to keep Nightwing on their platform while maneuvering every second to compensate for Slade's deadly weapons.

Even from far away, Artemis could sense M'gann's growing anger at the situation, the Martian's eyes were glowing green and her actions quickly became more erratic and instinctual before, suddenly, her fumes finally exploded.

"Enough!" M'gann screamed.

Her irises disappeared in the green glow from her eyes, and her telepathy rose her from the ground almost unconsciously. Slade's one, narrowed, visible eyes suddenly widened in shock and fear. The martian's angry face froze for a few long seconds the same time Slade's form stopped fighting. Artemis had no idea what was going on inside the pair's heads, but God almighty, if she said she'd have no nightmares from Slade's expression, she would be lying to herself.

After too long, M'gann's eyes finally returned to their normal color, glow ebbing, and Slade's already taught position slumped forward onto the platform.

What had M'gann done?

Artemis only had a few moments to ponder that dark answer before her stomach dropped dangerously. Slade's fall on the small platform was choreographed perfectly. His heavy, prone figure slammed onto the metal, hard, making the limp limbs roll a couple times as the hinges on the platform slanted under the man's weight. The action caused Impulse to tumble a little, and Slade's form to run directly into the already precariously dangling Nightwing, sending the older hero over the edge.

"Nightwing!" Artemis called.

Time seemed to slow down as Nightwing fell. If her cry was noticed, or even heard, she didn't know or care. Watching her friend drop towards the ground like a stone, unaware of what was around him, caused her to think for the first time what it would really feel like to lose her little brother for good.

The thought paralyzed her.

However, time all too quickly sped back up again. Luckily M'gann still had enough wits to her to grab Nightwing in a telepathic hold, his limp form draping over an invisible line. She locked gazes with Impulse and the two shared a quick silent conversation, probably through the telepathic link. The rest of the team must have gotten the same message, because Artemis saw smiles and hopeful gazes pass through the team below.

Batgirl especially seemed energized by the news. "Everyone back to the ship!" she called out loud.

Conner finished one last super-punch to Black Beetle, sending the villain flying backwards into the wall. The move wouldn't take him down, but it gave Conner the opening to make it to the ship's doors. Cassie and Garth finished up on three LIGHT soldiers, bashing their heads together with their combined force in such a dramatic way, Artemis felt like laughing. Sometime during the fight, Blue Beetle must have taken a hard hit and Impulse could be seen as nothing more than a little red and white blur as he whipped around and scooped up his unconscious friend.

The rest of the Young Justice League ran to the closing ship doors, with M'gann and Nightwing flying close behind. Artemis thanked heaven for the team's success, and prayed that Nightwing would get the medical attention he needed and make a full recovery.

It was all she could hope for.

They were so close, too, just a few more paces and they would have made it. Artemis cursed herself for hoping too soon. M'gann had a concentrated look on her face, like she was having a mental conversation with her teammates, and the doors closed quickly, with everyone but Nightwing and M'gann safely inside. Artemis could only guess the action was to get the ship moving as quickly as possible. Too bad it was just a little too late.

"Hey, little girl!"

Slade's voice cut through the loud hanger like a knife. How his mind was still intact against such a raw telepathic attack Artemis would never know. But Slade stood, on shaky knees, on top the leaning platform, a gun pointing right at the pair.

The gun Slade held wasn't even a gun, it was a customized, compact launch torpedo that probably held the same firepower of a small bomb. The assassin wasted no time in aiming, and the torpedo shot through the air before Artemis could blink.

She didn't even have time to scream.

A blinding white light erupted where M'gann and Nightwing stood. Everything around them disappeared in a cloud of white and red and gray. Artemis couldn't see. She couldn't hear. She couldn't move. She had even considered herself relatively safe in her little corner, but that didn't stop the shock wave of the bomb from forcing her back into the wall, hard.

She hadn't even remembered closing her eyes, but the next thing she was aware of was blinking dust out of her eyes an immeasurable amount of time later. Noises around her were garbled and slow. Her vision was frighteningly blurry. She'd felt these effects many times before, and it was something she could usually simply shake off. Artemis tried to stand, using the side of the wall for support.

Ow.

Her head hurt like a mother, and her world swayed dangerously at her fast movement. Artemis's hands went right to her head, gripping it tight as she tried to look around and get a sense of her bearings. She groggily took her hand away; her fingers came back red. Artemis wildly scanned the floor, can't think about that now, can't think about that. Nightwing. M'gann… explosion. Her eyes went right to the two prone figures sprawled out across the ground.

No.

Artemis took one step forward and fell to the ground in a heap. Okay. Bad idea. She got on her hands and knees and started crawling towards her fallen friends, unaware of everything else around her. And completely unaware and uncaring of how wrong her actions looked.

"M'gann... Nightwing..." She croaked.

Her two friend looked terrible. Nightwing had blood covering the entire front side of his face, and multiple burn marks over the lower parts of his legs. The acrid sent of charred flesh wafted around the pair and sent Artemis's stomach flipping dangerously.

M'gann was unconscious, and from what Artemis could guess, she had thrown herself in between Nightwing and the explosion. She had probably tried to put up a sort of telepathic force field between them to shield them from the bomb, but there must not have been time to solidify it.

Nightwing didn't look like he was breathing.

"No..."

Flashbacks from that horrible mission with the reds came back to her, so many years ago when she had seen for the first time her baby brother get bested during a mission and for the first time felt completely helpless and alone. He hadn't looked to be breathing back then either, but somehow he managed to hold on then. Please, now too. Please.

She reached M'gann first and shook her shoulder instantly, desperately trying to rouse her.

"M'gann." Her voice sounded terribly shaky and raw. Artemis wondered if she'd screamed after all when the bomb went off. "M'gann wake up."

The Martian started to stir slightly. Her eyes scrunched under her lids and her head turned to the side.

Artemis didn't even know what she was really doing. She probably should have stayed by the Martians side to make sure she was indeed alright. But instead, after making the connection that M'gann was in fact not dead, she sloppily crawled over to Nightwing, desperate to make sure he was okay.

He looked even worse for wear up close. His face was caked with a mixture of blood and dust, and his arm sprawled put in awkward angles. M'gann had obviously been able to shield the man's face from the blast, but not his legs. The entire exposed areas of his shins were nothing but charged, burned open wounds. His UnderArmour shirt had dozens of holes burned through it. His Kevlar gauntlets had been ripped off sometime during his stay, and his exposed arms were as equally burned as his legs. The man looked terrible.

"S-shit… N-Nightwing..." She didn't dare shake the man to rouse him, but Artemis did place a hand on his chest while bringing her ear close to his mouth, praying she would find something.

Miraculously, so very miraculously there was a sign of breath. It was uneven, and way too shallow. But Nightwing was breathing. He was fucking breathing. Artemis wanted to cry in relief. She did let out a single shaky laugh.

"Y-you... Get... Away from him!"

Artemis turned to find a very distraught M'gann clutching her head and trying to rise against the obvious danger present towards Nightwing. It took Artemis a good two seconds to remember why M'gann was acting so hostile towards her. She blinked stupidly but didn't move right away.

That was obviously the wrong thing to do because M'gann, in her weakened and threatened state, got angry.

"I said get away from him!"

A piece of metal from behind M'gann started to telepathically fly towards Artemis.

"M'gann, stop!"

The girl was relentless; even in her injured state she tried to stand, as if to actually fight off her adversary, but the Martian quickly tumbled back to the ground, her hands holding her head in pain.

"M'gann!" Artemis darted towards her as fast as she could manage. She met the poor Martian on the ground and put her hands on her shoulders comfortingly. "Stop. You're hurt."

The Martian groaned. "W-who are you? How do you know my name?"

"I-I."

'Well shit.' Artemis had to make a decision right here. Part of her was simply thinking of knocking the other girl out permanently, and wait for the ships doors to open and the team to come collect the fallen pair. She knew that was probably the right thing to do, to protect the identity that Nightwing spent so much of his time putting together.

But another part of her wanted this all to be over. To tell M'gann everything and to leave with the team. Forget all this ever happened. Make sure Nightwing made it out okay.

Even if she knew she couldn't.

Artemis cleared her throat. Get back in character, Tigress. "You take him and leave me," She bargained, voice low and threatening.

M'gann narrowed her eyes, but still answered strong. "F-fine."

Not a moment too soon, either. Just that second the debris blocking the ship's door was finally blown away, by a green gorilla, a very angry Superboy, and several, small battarang explosions.

M'gann's head whipped to the sound and Artemis took that as her cue to disappear. She did not like it, and she wished she could do anything but. But she retreated to the rafters anyways, still watching from above.

"Nightwing!"

The strangled cry from Batgirl nearly tore Artemis's heart out. She had always thought here was something going on between the two of them, and Batgirl's frantic face and desperate tone as she dove straight for his fallen form just confirmed her suspicions. Robin was not far behind, either, his ear pressed to his surrogate brother's chest, no doubt to look for a heartbeat. The bonds in the batfamily were the strongest ties Artemis had ever seen. The sight made her happy and jealous at the same time.

Artemis saw Batgirl take a deep breath and blink hard a couple times before she stood tall and looked to the rest of the team. She started barking orders and forcing people back into the ship while Conner gathered Nightwing into his arms with a gentleness Artemis had never seen before. The Young Justice team quickly started making their way back to the ship, and the doors closed just moments later. They were safe. They had gotten away. Nightwing was rescued.

Or at least he was getting medical attention and holding on as best he could. Artemis prayed for the umpteenth time that day that he would just be okay.

Knowing now that the ship had seen itself away from the Light's sub, Artemis allowed herself to finally relax. It was right about then that she realized how much she hurt. She had been thrown against the wall by Cassie, blown up by Slade, and generally beaten and pummeled by other League members. Her back was killing her, her arm was bleeding, and her head hurt like a mother.

She laid on her back on the cold floor and spread her arms out limply, breathing out and generally trying to process what had just happened. Yes, she was more than relieved that Nightwing was okay now, and she couldn't wait to share her joy with Kaldur. But she was exhausted. She just wanted this over.

She wanted to see Mount Justice again. She wanted to laugh with M'gann and Conner again. She wanted Wally to hold her again. She wanted to kiss him so badly and wanted to hold him tight and never let him go. She wanted to forget this day ever happened.

For how long she lay there, up on top the lower level of the docking bay, she didn't know, but eventually the bolted hanger doors were forced open by the LIGHT's employees, and troops came swarming. A little late for that you little shits. Nevertheless, she was glad to have people who would help her. She wasn't sure if she could make it to the med bay by herself in her condition.

The troops pooled in with Kaldur walking in after the first flurry. His mask was on good, and Black Manta's son looked stoically angered by the condition of his ship hanger. He looked to his side and his gaze almost immediately met Artemis's. The smallest of relieved smiled flashed across his face.

"Men, over there. Assist Tigress immediately." He ordered.

Five men started jogging in synch while the others assessed the damage around the hanger. Artemis slowly made her way up with the help of the soldiers. With one arm around the shoulder of a random guard keeping her upright, she directed him towards Kaldur.

"The prisoners escaped." She reported emotionlessly.

"I see." If Artemis didn't know about Kaldur's true face, she would have been a little nervous at his strained tone. Yet, at the same time there seemed to be a bright spark in his eyes at the news. "Men, take her to medical. We will finish things up here."

"Slade's up on that platform" Artemis said, pointing, "I think the telepath did something to his mind. He's unconscious."

Kaldur nodded and started giving orders to his people while Artemis was toted to the med wing. She was sleeping the minute her head the hospital pillow.

* * *

_Since I felt like I made ya'll wait longer for this update, here have a longer one :) one (finally) with some action!_

_In the next chapter (for those of you who read the author notes) something... happens. Fair warning. If you want an idea go read my other young justice fanfic *cough shameless self promo. But hopefully it'll be up once school decides to stop punching me in the gut. I'm planning time to write this weekend and hopefully it works out!_

_also... what even are comma rules!? apologies. _

_Okay overly long authors note is long. Thank ya'll for clicking and reading!_


	4. Chapter 4

_IMPORTANT NOTE please read! Okay so like I said at the end of last chapter, something happens in this one. And I've actually gotten to the point where I haven't got the next chapter all written out yet. So updates might be a little longer, especially with school right now. So yeah... no hate after this chapter? Maybe ;)_

_Either way, enjoy!_

* * *

Artemis ran into Kaldur the next day. After being threatened with two days in the med bay, on the basis that she had a severe concussion and several bruised vertebrae to mend, she quickly found means to escape. She hadn't necessarily hated the idea of relaxation, but she was itching to get back to her hidden bow for some much-needed stress relief.

And she was anxious to talk to Kaldur.

There was no guarantee when he was to receive reports from Conner or, more usually, Nightwing, but that didn't stop Artemis from asking.

"I will let you know the moment I receive word from them." Kaldur told her when they were within the safety of his room.

She wished she'd never asked.

Just four days later a report came in from one of Black Manta's soldiers, and the Antlantian warlord called an emergency meeting.

"My friends," Manta started, voice booming with excitement once his people had gathered in the conference room, "my colleagues, I have excellent news. Reports from Metropolis's Daily Planet have come to my attention, and I am pleased to say that the leader of the Young Justice, Nightwing—the greatest thorn in our back since the Justice League disappeared—died last night due to injuries he sustained from the explosion. These reports come from none other than reporter Lois Lane herself. Our efforts have finally paid off, men. Nightwing is dead!"

Cheers erupted around the table as soldiers shed their helmets and threw them up into the air in joy. Black Manta smiled. Fists were clasped. Drinks were clashed.

Artemis sat there.

What? What did he say? Did she hear him right?

She looked over to Kaldur, sitting beside his father. Even the Antlantian, who in the past had been so good at keeping his cover under any and all circumstances, looked at her with an expression of horror that more than likely mirrored hers. His eyes said it all. Artemis had heard Manta right.

Nightwing was reported dead.

Kaldur seemed to get a grip on himself. His head shook slightly when his father bumped his elbow to his son's shoulder. Kaldur slipped his mask on, giving the man a plastered smile. Kaldur managed to stand—albeit with shaky legs—and offer a toast to his expecting father.

Artemis couldn't do it. It was as if her brain and body had disconnected after Manta had broken the news. She wasn't really seeing or hearing right. There was a sort of tunnel vision, as if the corner of her eyes became obsolete, and hearing suddenly became unnecessary. In a way… it _really_ did. What was the point anymore? She stood out of her chair, propping herself up shakily on the edge of the table before clumsily making her way towards the door. She bumped against the shoulders and chests of celebrating soldiers, and the dimmest part of her brain hoped they didn't notice.

She didn't even remember stumbling to her room.

What she did remember was sitting on the edge of her bed for a long time, trying so desperately and failing miserably to not think of anything, before a knock banged her out of her trance.

Go away. She wanted to scream. But she didn't. She just kept sitting there.

Eventually he just kicked the door in. Or had he just used his key? Artemis didn't really care. But the next thing swimming in her vision was Kaldur's strained face. Oh God, he looked terrible. He looked exhausted beyond belief, and in an almost trance-like state himself. Looking him in the eyes hurt. A lot. Artemis wanted to look away, but instead she tried to focus on that he was saying...

"...Artemis? Artemis! Stop this! Look at me!"

"Why?"

Kaldur sighed, running a hand over his mouth in attempt to calm down. "Do not do that to me. I feared your mind had retreated in on itself. You scared me. "

Oh. "Sorry."

"Artemis..." He looked directly into her face with big, worried and sad eyes.

She couldn't take it. Her eyes started to pool over. "Is it true?" She asked.

He opened his mouth a couple times before actually responding, "I do not yet know. There is a possibility this is all just another elaborate cover-up by the team to take the LIGHT by surprise. I will speak with Conner as soon as I can."

Then what are you waiting for? "I want to be there when you do."

"That is exactly why I came to speak with you. I do not know if he will be near his phone, but I was going to try contacting Mount Justice right now."

Artemis nodded somewhat numbly. That was... good. That was something. That was action. She could do action. They were going to talk with Superboy and get a much deserved explanation to this situation. Nightwing was probably just fine. He was probably getting antsy and annoying in a recovery bed in the Mount Justice infirmity as they spoke.

She stood, trying to hold onto as much of her superhero dignity as she could. "Let's go."

The pair made their way into Kaldur's room where he fished out a small holographic computer, not unlike Nightwing's old Robin wrist computer from five years ago, and started it up before he punched in the desired call number.

Artemis begged someone would pick up.

Artemis prayed no one would pick up.

Four rings later, the grainy image of Superboy came into view. His face looked tired, but when he saw who was on the other end, his expression turned into one of grim, dreadful understanding. Artemis's heart nearly stopped again in her chest.

"Kaldur." Conner said emotionlessly.

"Conner."

A small pause. "You're... calling about the news thing?" It was as much a question as it was a statement.

Kaldur swallowed hard at the clone's tone, "Black Manta and his crew received word just over an hour ago." Another tight pause, "...is the news true?"

Conner was never one to sugar-coat, but he looked so tired when he gave a small, almost shaky nod before answering.

"Yeah."

Artemis's heart broke. She sat down clumsily in a chair that magically appeared underneath her. Her hand went to her face, placing her fingers over her head as she fought to keep her tears in check. Her stomach suddenly hurt. It hurt badly. Artemis felt sick. Kaldur himself gave no vocal outlet for his feelings, but Artemis could see the tension in his muscles. She had a feeling one wrongly tested word would set the Antlantian off.

There was a long pause before anyone answered. The silence almost palpable. "C-Conner... what... what happened?" Artemis finally managed, looking the ground.

The clone got angry suddenly, his bright blue eyes narrowing, "I could ask you guys the same question."

"Excuse me?" Kaldur challenged.

"You didn't see what he looked like when we got him back to the base!" He nearly yelled. "He was a mess, Kaldur! I don't know how the hell he managed to survive as long as he did! What kind of shit did you guys put him through?"

Stop, stop stop! Artemis didn't need to hear this.

"What happened was out of our hands," Kaldur countered dangerously. "You cannot tell me that you believe it was us who initiated his beatings."

"I saw the tapes from Mount Justice, Kaldur. I don't know what to believe." Conner said flatly.

Kaldur's brow furrowed in confusion as he looked to Artemis for answers. Artemis, unfortunately, knew exactly what Conner was referring to: Nightwing's takedown by Slade. Images from that horrible confrontation filled in her mind, making her shiver unconsciously and sending a new dread in her heart.

"That… wasn't my fault," Artemis defended lamely. "Deathstroke took the orders completely out of hand."

"Yeah, and you did so much to try and stop him." Conner's voice was as cold as ice.

Artemis looked up at the screen with wide, hurt eyes. She didn't want to think of Conner actually saying these things to her, but at the same time she knew they were no less then she deserved. She hung her head back down.

"Artemis had no other choice, Superboy," Kaldur came to her undeserving rescue. "She had to maintain her cover. It was her attention back at our base that insured Nightwing survived as long as he did."

"And a shit lot of good that did," Conner snapped.

"We are hurting too, Conner! Do not think we don't grieve. This news had broken us both!" Kaldur bit back viciously.

Artemis tried desperately to calm her shaking shoulders. She too wanted to scream at Conner, to tell him that she was screaming inside with no outlet. She wanted to burden him with questions, to ask what exactly they did to get him medical help, because Nightwing sure as hell was alive when the team had taken him back. But she couldn't. She knew the team had done everything they could. She couldn't even comprehend Batgirl... or Robin...

Jesus Christ.

Conner had stayed silent at Kaldur's outburst, rightfully put back in his place. Artemis took her turn. "Conner, how did he die?" She had to know.

Conner sobered up, deflating dramatically at her question. He suddenly looked so tired. "He died three days ago... in the League's infirmity," he visibly swallowed, taking a long time to continue. "It sucked 'cuz no one was there, you know. We only had one doctor—Leslie, I think her name was. But, none of the League. Batman wasn't there when he—shit. It was all really messed up." Conner ran a hand through his hair. "The doc said he died 'cuz of blood in his lungs or something. Plus he'd already lost a lot of it before he'd gotten here, and the doc think he had a concussion. He was a dead man walking the minute we got him in the bioship."

Conner heaved a sigh. His voice was steady, but his eyes shone ever so slightly in the camera's lens. Artemis didn't dare think he was actually showing that sort of emotion, but his mannerisms reminded her of how much their little bird had wormed his way into the clone's heart.

...Everyone's heart.

"What happens next?" She heard Kaldur saying.

Conner shrugged his wide shoulders, almost looking like he couldn't care less, like there were a lot more important things to be thinking about then plans for the future. "I don't know. By now everyone knows he's dead—that was Batgirl's idea by the way, not mine—so… I guess we've gotta plan a funeral.

The three sat in heavy silence, each taking in the information on their own, and each trying to find some mad way to process everything. Artemis knew she couldn't, knew she didn't want to. But there was something she had to know, one last burning question...

"Conner, what was his name?"

Kaldur's head perked up at her question, looking from her to Superboy's screen earnestly.

Conner looked... sad. So unbearably sad. "Batgirl didn't really want too many to know. But you guys are part of the team." He paused, as if weighing the options. "Richard," he finally said. "His name was Richard Grayson. But Robin told me everyone always called him Dick. He's, uh, he was the adopted son of Bruce Wayne. Crazy, right? Who would have thought he could keep that a secret for- Artemis?"

Artemis wasn't even listening to Superboy's words. The minute Richard Grayson's name had left his lips, Artemis's mind had gone haywire. No, no it can't be him. Not Dick... Not that annoying little freshman who had poked her every day in math class. Not the little acrobat who would show off in gym class every once in a while just because he could, just like Robin used to do. No. He couldn't be Nightwing. He couldn't have been Robin.

"We'll laugh about this someday."

Dick's words flooded unceremoniously into her brain before she could stop them. Memories came back to her from her first day at Gotham Academy, where this stranger had pulled her aside and taken her picture. Everything finally made sense. Everything finally made horrible, terrible sense.

Artemis stumbled her way into her room and all but slammed her door. Her legs froze right then and there and she felt herself sliding down onto her floor, leaning back against her door frame.

She couldn't do it, not anymore. That last bit of news was too much. She gathered her head in her hands and let her gut-wrenching sobs take control of her. Tears pooled down her face, and she didn't bother to care. She let herself cry. She let herself mourn and she didn't give one rat's ass if another Manta personnel found or heard her.

At one point she thought she heard Kaldur banging on her door, telling her to let him in. She just screamed at him to go away. Eventually he did. Artemis didn't care. Nightwing was dead. Richard Grayson was dead. Her little brother, who she had failed to miserably to protect, was dead.

* * *

_*hides under protective rock*_

_Thanks for reading and clicking!_


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